


Dandelion

by Kibagon



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: (its later don't worry), British Schools, Childhood Rivals, Growing Up, M/M, Major Angst later, Mild Mentions of Blood, Minor Angst, Mustard plays a huge role in this I swear, My headcanons, Posh Raihan, Raihan isn't announced for a while, Scottish Leon, Slow Burn, Sonia and Leon getting along for a whole few chapters, The actual plot is coming soon, They're at school right now, more tags to be added later, prepare yourselves, self doubt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-29
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:27:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26147920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kibagon/pseuds/Kibagon
Summary: Galar is a fantastic region full of spectacular people, 3 of which are here to take the region by storm and shake the world as Galarians know it. Hell, shake the world as the rest of the regions knew it.It all starts with one child from a small town of farmers and his best friend, the granddaughter of the professor. And when they discover the third member of their rivalry, things suddenly take a turn for the better. Or perhaps for the worst.A tale of rivalry, love, anger, sadness, fear and growth meets are three protagonists. And only they can decide how that shapes them.
Relationships: Dande | Leon/Kibana | Raihan
Comments: 10
Kudos: 15





	1. Overslept

**Author's Note:**

> And so the journey begins!

The sun rises in Galar, casting a warm light upon the fluffy white clouds within the sky, reflecting off the many Wooloo grazing in the field. These fields belong to many farmers, some in the small farming village of Turffield, others in the commercial village of Wedgehurst. However, this particular field belongs to a farmer in the sleepy town of Postwick. Postwick is an extraordinary place, unlike any other village or town or even city that Galar houses. It has two lone houses, a one-story cottage, with one bedroom, a living area and a kitchen diner, quite the cosy fit. And a two-story house, with 2 bedrooms, a living area, a kitchen diner and a hallway with the stairs to access the second floor. This two-story house belongs to a woman named Daphne Vante, the farmer who brought this land many moons ago along with her friend, Victoria Lynn, who lives just across the road in the one-story cottage. 

Though these two houses aren't what define Postwick, far from it. Beside Victoria's cottage sat a long winding wood. The two women are unsure as to where these woods even lead to but the locals of Wedgehurst have given it the name of the 'Slumbering Weald', which is rather fitting. Never has Daphne nor Victoria caught a wolf pokemon stumble out the woods to eat the Wooloo, nor has really anything come out of the woods, and to their knowledge nothing has gone in either. Though due to this, the Weald isn't really seen as much of a threat nor will it ever be, in fact, sweetens the deal for the two women. A peaceful Weald that not even the surrounding pokemon can disturb. 

The sun is now blazing in the sky, the sky showing gradients of red and orange and yellow and lighter blues and darker blues, all these colours contrasting each other. The stars barely are visible through the clouds and at a squint, there is even the moon, a barely visible crescent hiding within the clouds.It is just like any other day in early May, a Tuesday at that. Daphne is up and ready at the earliest of hours to herd her Wooloo with her Boltund and ensure that the Rookidee stay away from the food that rightfully belongs to her farm pokemon. And yet all she can think about is her son. Her lovely ray of sunshine that smiles so bright that perhaps even the actual sun would glower with envy. 

She was only about 26 when she had realised she was pregnant with her husbands, Raphael Vante's, baby, a little boy no less. And she was delighted to have introduced him to the world within the first nine months of the new millennia. Her baby is almost 10 now! He's grown to be quite the charmer, if not a wee trouble maker and she named him 'Leon', not for any particular reason than she reminds him so much of a Dandelion and that she'd just always liked the name Leon. He looks a lot more like Daphne then he does his father, though it suits the boy. He also picked up on her habits, and he's quite the ladies man, having befriended a lass just a few months younger than him. Or well, they didn't really befriend each other, they'd simply gotten along since wee babies.

Speaking of his friend, she was quite the clever clogs, she'd moved from Motostoke to Wedgehurst during nursery and the transition from nurseries must have been rather intimidating for the poor girl. That's when her ball of sunshine, Leon, introduced himself to her and the two have been inseparable since. Her name is Sonia Magnolia, which Daphne thought sounded familiar at first, so when she had discovered that in fact, this little ginger girl with a pretty little accent was the professor's granddaughter, she wanted to both scream and cheer for her son. Though it seems he hasn't made a complete fool of himself yet. Sonia is also 9 years old, she lives with her grandparents due to some at-home issues and Daphne hasn't been bold enough to ask why. Frankly, it isn't her business to pry into a 9 year-olds issues and she'd hate to cause an upset over it. Sonia seems very pleased to be with the professor anyway, and the professor seems equally as pleased to be with Sonia. 

And Leon is doing a swimmingly good job at keeping their friendship alive, she always knew her son was quite the talker, from when he blabbered his first word she knew he just wouldn't be able to shut up about it. And while their accents are quite strong and Leon, due to his age, tends to be less easy to understand, Sonia always gives him the time of day. If Daphne didn't know any better she would certainly say the two of them are sweethearts in the making, Leon protecting Sonia from the harsh criticisms that she might face for caring about her education and Sonia firing off her best remarks to those who even dare to make a joke about her life long best friend. Though she does know better, her son gets uncomfortable when she makes little playful comments about him and Sonia and what they are, even the little mocking undertones. And since then, she has stopped. There is a difference between playing about and poking fun and making her baby boy uncomfortable, after all.

Daphne must admit that she's getting a little weary and nervous, it has been hours since she exited the house and started work on her fields, raking at the grass and chasing about the Wooloo. The sun is now comfortably settled behind the clouds, occasional rays of light peeking through them to give the area comfortable warm light that brightens it up. And yet, her son has not come outside at all to say goodbye and head off to school. Which is something Leon hadn't failed to do for at least a few months. See, the school days run from January to June, within the last sector of the gym challenge and then continues onward over the celebration and into the break. Then, after 6 months of learning, they are let go and returned the following August to November if they require extra schooling. Leon had been going the full years for basically his whole life, as many Galarian children do until they reach the age of ten, in which they are old enough to receive a sponsorship and join the gym challenge.

And this was one of those key days, Tuesday 4th, May 2010. Wasn't champion Mustard due to visit the school her son went to? He was visiting the rural areas of Galar in hopes of handing one very lucky child their shot at sponsorship from the very champion himself. Of course, it is assumed that the child has to earn this through vigorous training from June to August, though it's safe to assume that if the champion had hand picked them, they are more than likely to get that sponsorship. Daphne thinks it to be quite unfair but for all, she knows Mustard may have a method to his madness. The farmer takes a quick breath of pain and groans, sitting upon the grass as her Boltund rushes to her, she feels absolutely fine apart from the kicking within her stomach. Has she really been so busy worrying about Leon that she forgot about her other little boy? 

Daphne was expecting another little boy, estimated around the end of May, this month, so things were really quite tough for her, she couldn't really afford to be running about after Wooloo and mowing the lawn and raking the grass, she couldn't even afford to be planting berry trees and vegetables. And yet her husband Raphael is never around so really, what other choice does she have? None. Even if her husband was about he would kick up a fuss and absolutely refuse to get off his arse to help her with the farm work. So Daphne does it herself. Soon the farmer heads inside after realising she can't work anymore today, she glances over to the radio to check the time and her eyes widen. It's 10 am. "Leon!" She called upstairs, half in a panic as she stumbled up to them and into the room of her child who is innocently sleeping away. "Leon, get yer arse up, lad! Yer late to schule!"

There's a quiet groan and Daphne simply can't have that, she yanks the blanket off the bed, shaking her son, who is now curled up in a ball. "Leon! Champion Mustard is comin' ta tha schule!" and like a rocket, her son shoots up with wide and alarmed eyes. And then he looks down at himself, still clad in warm fluffy cotton pyjamas made from the very Wooloo his mother has in the farm. How could he forget?! It's May! Worse, it's Tuesday! The 4th! Champion Mustard was coming 3 days before the league finals! What if Leon missed him?! The boy scrambles to his feet and all too quickly barges his mother out the room as he looks for his uniform. Short-sleeved button-up shirt? Check. Trousers? Check. Socks? Check. Shoes? Check. Tie? Oh, where is his tie?! Where is his blazer too?! The boy checks under a pile of clothing and finds them, much to his relief. 

He throws on his uniform all a bit too quickly and rushes out the room only to be yanked back by his mother. "Maw!" he yelled in dismay as he squirms in his mother's arms, unable to do much other than squirm about as she straightens his uniform and neatens his tie, she even makes sure his collar on his shirt is properly tucked over the tie and not under. And finally, she does the buttons of his blazer up and moves his fringe, kissing him on the forehead. Leon can't help but soften slightly at that and then sighs. "Ok!" he moved away before giving his mother a sheepish stare "Maw, can ya help me brush me 'air, please?" and Daphne lets out a laugh.

"Of course I can, wee Dandelion, lets 'ead downstairs and tame that 'air of yours, hmm? It's rather long now, int it?" She commented absentmindedly as she carded her fingers through Leon's hair, silky and slightly curly locks of purple hair that reach his shoulders, not a darkened purple like her hair but more of a lilac purple, he got his fathers genes for lighter hair. Not that it's a bad thing, Daphne thinks her son looks stunning, she is most definitely glad that he caught onto her purple hair, it looks even prettier on his little head. He's a very pretty boy and she feels blessed. She places a hand on his back and ushers him down the stairs, leading him into the kitchen and grabbing a hairbrush, one aptly called a 'Tangle Tamer' since Leon's hair got all sorts of knotty as it began to grow out more, and she moves the brush through his hair, it's very soft and obedient today, she realises that perhaps Leon had washed his hair beforehand or perhaps even the night before in the fancy shed outhouse where she spends her nights.

One she's finished, Leon is already heading to the door and she chases after him, grabbing his backpack and shoving his lunch, which she always prepared first thing in the morning, into the bag, zipping it up and handing it to her boy. He looks so grown up now! Daphne is getting emotional, a tear runs down her cheek as she ushers Leon out the house. "Come on then, lad, can't afford for ye ta be late to schule now, can we?" she asked, offering him a gentle smile as she saw him to the exit of Postwick, reading the sign that both welcomed and wished a farewell to those entering and leaving the sleepy town. How lucky she must be to have found such a small cute town to raise her child in. Her children, actually. She watches Leon acknowledge her smile with one of his own before he begins to dart off like an energetic Rotom.

"Bye, Maw! Ah promise ye that Ah'll 'ave fun at schule today!" Leon called back to his mother as he then charged off toward the school, the school that was just past Turffield on route 5. Luckily he can fetch a train to Motostoke and then run like his life depended on it, he should get there before the lunch break, but he'll just have to see, he took a while to get ready for school as it was! He still can't believe that he was late to possibly the most important day in their schools' history! He hadn't overslept in months, though this is what he deserves for staying up so late, being giddy about Champion Mustard coming to the school that he kept himself awake until 1 am! And he usually gets up at 6 am to give himself enough time to have breakfast and get changed and brush his hair. Wow, he hadn't even had breakfast!

He reaches Wedgehurst and pulls a crumpled 10 pokepound note from the wallet which he keeps in his bag it's lucky he always has some money stored away in there, since he almost always takes the train to Motostoke, he did attempt to run through the fields and toward Turffield once but he got caught by a local farmer and scolded a ton. He hasn't tried it since and his mother has been more than glad to fund the train fees with the money she makes from the farm. He really appreciates that, though he knows his mother doesn't make much so he tries to help out when he can, finding any spare coins or notes he can manage, that or picking up random tidbits he finds on the floor and selling them to the pokemon centre clerks.

Leon hands the note to the man behind the counter who promptly gives him a ticket to Motostoke and the change, it's a return ticket, as usual, the ticket man knows him rather well, and despite his expressionless face Leon can tell Mr.Ticketman is trying his best not to smile. That is just his job, to sit there and hand out tickets. Leon doesn't have to wait long for the next train to arrive, he gets up as soon as he hears the wheels grinding against the rails and he inserts his ticket into the barrier, being let in shortly afterwards, he grabs the handle on the door and twists it, yanking it toward him and then entering the train, closing the door after he enters. Leon then is quick to find a window seat at one of the tables and sits there quickly as the train begins to head off toward Motostoke. He really hopes he doesn't miss Champion Mustard.


	2. Late

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leon is late to school, just as expected. What was he thinking waking up as 10am in the morning anyway?!

The train passes through many fields, Leon stares out the window and at the Wooloo grazing next to the hay bales which are either all piled on top of each other like a pyramid or scattered around the field in an orderly fashion, and he doesn't question it, he knows why they're there. He's the son of a farmer, after all, he used to enjoy climbing into their tractor or helping to rake at the dirt to sort out the plant land. Though now with school going on, his mother refuses to let him help, she says he needs all his energy for school! It's not that he doesn't want to help, of course, he does! But things seem a lot more boring now that their tractor is gone, old Betsy really did such a good job helping them on the farm. Things just aren't as they used to be, farming is more of a chore. School is a chore sometimes.

These thoughts are brought to a stop as the train slowly halts, the wheels screeching against the rails, he hears the announcer speak, their voice is slightly muffled and very quiet and the boy can't help but squint his eyes in utter annoyance, though it's not exactly like he can demand the announcer to be louder, the trains on these railways are much more outdated than ones in huge cities like Hammerlocke and Wyndon. Leon thinks he likes it, it certainly brings its own charms. He gets up and heads to the door, struggling to both reach and pull down the window. He then leans out the window and gives the handle a few pushes, he always forgets how hard these doors are to open. The handles are so stiff!

Suddenly, the door swings open and the 9-year-old gets unmercifully flung out of the train, falling onto his knees. Aw. He promised his mum he wouldn't be getting anymore grazes on his knees, he'll have to apologise for that later. For now, he needs to pick himself right up because he's in the middle of a train station with more than a couple of eyes staring right at him. Not that Leon can blame them, he knows he would stare if some sorry kid fell out of the train after fumbling with the handle for how many minutes. He quickly gets up and dusts himself off, rushing toward the barriers and taking out the same ticket as before, reading the writing on it, Wedghurst to Motostoke. Sounds about right. He ventures over to one of the maps just to double-check where he is going, unlike many of his peers he doesn't have a phone and he wouldn't want to risk getting lost. 

He's made this route several times however and with one last scan through of the map, he's on his way, out the train station and then toward the far left exit of Motostoke. He should pass exactly 3 benches, 4 bins, 8 streetlights, a left corner which he needs to turn down and the pokemon centre. And then he'll reach the bridge which leads to the tunnel and he's basically there. It shouldn't be too late, Leon predicts it probably about 11 am, based on the positioning of the sun in the sky and the shadows that are cast by other objects around, if he's quick he can make it before lunch. Maybe. Though Leon doesn't particularly want to run if he's honest, his knees still hurt, they aren't bleeding or anything like that but he did have a tumble and some of the skin came off during said tumble.

Instead, Leon opts for simply speed-walking throughout Motostoke, hearing the distant clank of gears, it seems like a rather nice place to live, easily the most industrial city in Galar, or at least the loudest. Well, discounting the number of fire displays that Wyndon has every year for even the smallest things. Though the crunching and clanking of the gears have always been somewhat comforting to Leon, perhaps something about the way they grind or perhaps hearing the odd squeak from a rustier gear, it's just comforting to the country boy. And he can't figure out why, he's from the countryside, he shouldn't be appreciating the rustic sound of gears. But here he is, speed-walking through Motostoke and humming along to the tune these mechanics make.

And, of course, he gets distracted occasionally by the odd caws of a Rookidee flying over him, he doesn't quite know why he has such a fascination with flying type pokemon but he knows that he really likes them, but he isn't too particularly fond of the more bird-like flying types if that even makes sense. He likes the unusual flying types like Altaria and Salamence and Sigilyph, not the usual fluffy bird pokemon with cute wings and feathers. Soon, Leon finds himself at the pokemon centre and immediately turns to take a sharp left, spotting the bridge and the tunnel that leads into route 5. He sure is glad that today no Wooloo had blocked the train tracks, those stubborn pokemon won't even move once settled!

He can just imagine how late he would have been if he had to exit at the start of the wild area and run through all the grass and the endless acres of land, and on top of that, he would have to avoid all sorts of pokemon that would try to attack him since he is completely defenceless. He does have pokemon but he doesn't have a licence to battle with them, neither is he allowed to be carrying them about everywhere, they would be handy in self-defence but it's just usually not so typical. As well as all of the things he'd already listed he'd have to run with grazed knees and that just really didn't sound all that fun.

Leon snaps out of his thoughts by giving his face two quick slaps in succession of each other, almost to the rhythm of the grinding and clanking gears that slowly get quieter. He walks over the bridge and under the tunnel, taking a quick glance at the darkness within the tunnel and how badly lit up this area was. At this point, he doesn't even know the time or how late he is going to be, all he knows is the sun is still up and it's still closer to the ground than it is the middle of the sky, so it must be before 12 am. Unless the sun is setting and he's missed Champion Mustard completely, That would upset him so much and he's unsure if he'd ever really be able to get over it, his one chance at meeting the champion and he blows it?

Who is he kidding, he's already blown it as is, he's incredibly late, even if he does arrive now the champion will be so unimpressed that he's late. He wants to kick himself for being so stupid to allow an opportunity like this to go down the drain so easily. It was right in front of him, Mustard was right there! And the one night he shouldn't stay up, he stays up. And the one morning he shouldn't oversleep, he overslept. If only humans were actually capable of kicking themselves but Leon had done enough damage to himself today already having taken that tumble out of the train. He hasn't quite looked at his knees since he doesn't really like blood and he'd rather not see the damage he'd done to himself anyway, that and he's wearing trousers.

He can't afford to stand under this tunnel and have mental kicks at himself, he'd rather actually make it to school and have a slight chance of seeing Mustard over not arriving at school and not seeing him at all. So maybe Leon will look incredibly disorganised to the champion but that is fine with him! It's his own fault he got up so late and as much as he'd love to continue to berate himself mentally he really can't afford to be doing that all day, he'll put himself in the slums and that's never good! Well, he's already in the slums but he doesn't particularly want to acknowledge the fact that he is constantly upset with himself. It will just make him sadder. So he continues out the tunnel and then he takes an immediate right.

Perhaps it would have been quicker to go to Hulbury, he hikes up the hill with little to no complaining however, he simply needs to get over it, the hill isn't that large and while it's quite the hike Leon is sure it's only helping him and not making him worse in any particular way. So up the hill, he continues, and his knees are aching so badly. They're searing in pain, the fresh air meeting the equally fresh flesh under his skin. It isn't a pleasurable feeling in the slightest and arguably makes his hike a lot worse. Though after climbing for so long he reaches the top and he can see the pathway to his school. He can't help himself. He lets out a literal yell of happiness and then charges toward the building with a huge grin on his face,

He'd made it! School! He was very quick to open the door and rush inside, hearing the chattering of teachers makes him giddy! He rushes toward the classroom he was assigned to be in but much to his horror, no one is inside, he summarises this must be it. He's missed school and the sun has been setting this whole time and that really he had been hours late. He'd missed his only chance to see champion Mustard and he'd missed a whole day of school while he was at it. He was an absolute idiot, he bows his head and slowly backs away from the door only to bump into someone. So, quickly, he spins around to apologise, only to realise it's his friend, Sonia, staring up at him with her arms crossed and a pout across her lips.

"It's about time you arrived, you- you-" Sonia can't will her words out of her mouth and simply pulls him into a tight hug. "You idiot." She muttered out to Leon, sniffling slightly. Was she crying?! No way! Now Leon feels incredibly bad, his arms loop around her and he frowns, holding his friend close. He must have made her very worried, he hadn't overslept in months after all. So he lets the ginger sob into his shoulder all she pleases, she deserves a shoulder to cry on and he should have been there from the start. Maybe some of the kids had mocked her for being a smarty pants, perhaps she was just so concerned about him being late this time that she overthought. She likes to overthink a lot, about silly little things too, it makes Leon worry about her sometimes.

"You know," Finally, Sonia speaks once more, lifting her head away from his chest which she had been sobbing into, Leon's nice pure white shirt was now stained with water from her tears, and to top it all off Sonia grabbed his tie and wiped her remaining tears away with that. How lovely. "You... almost missed the champion, teehee.." And now the ginger girl is finding humour in her friends understandably horrified expression, Leon looks so scared! She can't help but find it slightly entertaining, giggling away. "Hey, hey! I said almost! Champion Mustard is here until the end of the day, though you missed introductions, so I introduced you to him for you!"

Leon was dreading that, she's probably made him look like a proper idiot to everyone! "A'ight, so what did ya tell 'im?" he asked, earning a light smack from Sonia and a scoff, he can't blame her honestly, perhaps he shouldn't have given that response. He gives her his own pout before sighing and shaking his head. He's got to be polite or Sonia will never spill the beans on how badly she's embarrassed him. So he rolls his eyes and nudges her gently "Ahm sorry, ya kno' thas jus how ah speak. Okay, let me try again then, what did ye tell ol' Mustard?" He sees Sonias expression brighten and he can't help but chuckle slightly, she's always been so predictable. She was much fonder of his softer indoor accent.

And after waiting perhaps a little too long, Sonia gives him a playful nudge before grabbing his hand gingerly and beginning to lead him... somewhere. Leon can't quite predict as of now but he's certain it's either the eating hall or the field. Most likely the field, Sonia always looks so pretty on the field, the sun radiates off her hair and gives it such a pretty glow. It turns out his suspicions were correct as he's lead through the back door and into the field. He can hear the grass crunching underneath his feet as they weave their way through the flowers, careful not to crush any of the pretty daisies or dandelions. Then, Sonia releases his hand, placing her hands on his shoulders, she pushes him down so he's sitting cross-legged on the floor.

"Okay, so I got on my phone.." Within seconds of Sonia's explanation, Leon knows where this is going, he's already starting to turn red in embarrassment. "And I told him, 'Mustard, Sir, This is my friend Leon, he's your biggest fan.", the poor boy buries his head in his hands and groans loudly, Sonia just giggled. "So I went up to the front of the class and I went into my photo album that I have dedicated to you and I started to scroll through some of the photos, and you looked so cute!" he wants to scream, his face is cherry red. Those were supposed to be private photos! No one but them was supposed to know about that photo collection! Unless that isn't how photos work. Well, Sonia did take them so if she wanted to share them, Leon couldn't stop her, but he's still upset. So he decides to voice it.

"Ahm not happy with ye, ya kno'" Sonia has the nerve to shoot him a confused glance before her face shows realisation and she breaks off into giggles. "It's nae funny!" but he knows why she's laughing, he's taken his bright cherry red face out of his hands to talk to her, she can see the embarrassment written all over him. "Ahm being serious, ya know!" He knows she's not taking him seriously nonetheless, he can't blame her. He definitely wouldn't take her seriously if she was all flustered and embarrassed. But then it hits him, not lightly. No. It's like a whole load of bricks just got thrown at him. She's pulling his leg! That little minx! He pulls her close! "You've been pulling me leg!" and just like that Sonia bursts into more giggles.

"'Course I have, Lee, I wouldn't actually embarrass you like that in front of your idol of all people. No no." Sonia swears she can hear a sigh of relief leave the purple-haired boys mouth so she smirks knowingly, "But I did go up to the front and mention you and I did show him one picture of you, a decent one, y'know the one where the sun is shining off your hair and you look like you're straight out a superhero comic?" And Leon nods because he does know. So Sonia had shown Mustard a rather flattering picture and then told Mustard a little about her friend. Leon can't help but smile. He's blessed with the best friend, truly. He laughs alongside her giggles and they both dig into their lunch, having a little time before the bell rings to call them inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're interested in hearing about what other things I do in my free time you can follow me:
> 
> Instagram (Art!): @HydraMaigon  
> Twitter (WIPS, Updates of fic, other): @HMaigon
> 
> I plan to release a new chapter every 2-3 days but I'm not going to force myself to keep to that schedule!


	3. Opportunity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leon mourns over his sandwich and missing the champion until he doesn't.

Leon is mid-bite in his last sandwich when the bell blares out its usual defeating screech of a ring. It repeats this shriek many times within the course of a few minutes, he dislikes the bell anyway but the outright loudness and repetitiveness of it only proves to make him further stressed. The country boy can deal with the faint sound of clanking gears and grinding cogs but he doesn't particularly like incredibly loud things that are meant to be loud. It's deafening and stressful, but everyone has their own responses to it. Sonia is certainly grimacing too but unlike her friend, she can at least understand why it is so loud this is to ensure that all the children in the school hear it and head to class. After a few minutes, the shrieks come to an end and both the children sigh in relief, that's the worst part of their day over. 

Sonia gets up and fiddles about with her hair a little before grabbing ahold of Leon's hand and yanking him up (much to his dismay, since he's still trying to devour the half-eaten sandwich.) and the boy, in turn, lets out a startled cry as it falls out his mouth and hands and tumbles onto the floor. "Sonia!" he complained as he tried to protest against her dragging him into the classroom, reaching out to the fallen sandwich and tugging against her to no avail. "Sonia, ye made me drop me sandwich!" he whined out to the ginger girl, but much to his dismay he is very quickly dragged indoors. Darn it! Now he'll never get to finish his sandwich! He silently mourns the loss of his food. 

He follows her through the hallways, not like he has much of a choice with her tight grip on his own hand, eventually, he is lead to their classroom where most if not all the class had already begun to crowd outside of the door and wait for it to be opened by the teacher, this was like a daily ritual in school, hanging out with their friendship groups and shoving each other about playfully until the teacher opened the door and told them off. Well, some didn't care and still played around, those were the more rowdy people in the class, the popular kids, the ones who took a football and took over the whole field. Not to play football, no-no, to kick it about a little and then see other classmates' faces as goals.

Today, the rowdy popular kids must be feeling extra rowdy, it doesn't help Leon isn't from around this area of Galar, it isn't all that far from Postwick but most kids here are from Motostoke and Hulbury, usually all the 'farmer peasants', one of the many insults he's been called, don't even attend school. His accent is mighty different from the rest of theirs, harder to understand and easier to mock. It certainly doesn't help that his hair is a lavender purple, 'it looks like he dyed it and bleached it' one of the popular girls once recounted to him. But Leon doesn't really care what they think, he's not the smartest but he's smart enough to know they're all very young, even him. They'll grow to regret the things they say.

Though, despite all this, one of them speaks up, snickering as he mocks the accent of his peer. "Wha's up, laddie, yer got a wee lost to schule?", his mates erupt into laughter, the girls are giggling along too in hopes he'll give them a compliment. He doesn't, just keeps firing off at Leon, Leon who is hardly even listening because he knows, in the end, this conflict will soon be over and he'll forgive them. They can say whatever they want about him, he doesn't mind. It's if they mock Sonia then he has an issue with him. Unlike them, Sonia is trying her hardest to make friends and learn and she's an amazing person. And if anyone messes with her, they'll have a very angry Leon on their tail.

But Sonia isn't having it, she pouts and moves in front of her friend, standing up for him. "Hey! You leave him alone, Sam! You don't see us making fun of your lack of football skills!" the ginger argued back. Okay, Leon couldn't help but let out a snicker at that one, though his friend really doesn't need to stand up for him. He doesn't mind if people mock him, he doesn't usually listen and just lets them have their way, like every other bully and popular kid they'll get bored and move onto picking on someone else or shoving about each other and generally causing chaos while they could.

It seems like she struck a never though, Sam has the nerve to look offended after literally having made fun of how Leon speaks. It's not Leon's fault that he's got his accent, after all. He didn't ask for it, though he loves his accent. At least Sam can improve his crumby football skills but in Sonia's opinion, she thinks her mates' accent is much better and will always be better than the popular kids' football skills. But of course, the brunette has to defend himself and his 10-year-old football skills. "I-I don't have a lack of football skills! At least I can see the ball from far away!" Like every 10-year-old, his only comeback is another insult at the people he is attacking.

Leon has had enough when Sam decides it's a smart idea to mock Sonia's eyesight. It isn't her fault that she can't see things far away, that's why she's going to get glasses after this school year. "Ey! Ya should kno' betta than ta attack someone over somethin' they can't actually improve!" the purple-headed boy yelled out from behind his best friend, moving her so she was beside him. He gave her hand a little comforting squeeze to comfort her a little because this might be stressful for her. "Ya can improve yer footy skills! She can't practice 'n improve her eyesight!" As disliked as Leon is by the populars, he does have a point. Sam can just improve his football skills!

Some of the kids started to let out snickers of agreement, it was a petty argument really, but Leon and Sonia were inseparable, you couldn't pick on one of them without the other one guarding them protectively. They are each other's sword and shield. They are always there for each other. And without much room to argue, Sam mumbles something mocking about Leon's accent once more before cowering back to his group of friends where they were all currently having a lot of fun mocking him for getting roasted alive by the non-locals. What a tough life. Leon is quick to calm down and glance over to Sonia worriedly but she doesn't appear to care, she's just staring at him dreamily. But then, she quickly snapped out of it.

"Leon..." She mumbled, bringing his hand to her chest and sighing before smiling at him, her face is all red? Leon doesn't understand. Slowly, she releases his hand and giggles at his clueless expression. "Thank you, you know you don't have to stick up for me though, right?" Sonia studies his sheepish expression and watches him shrug, staring at the hand she has holding before rubbing the back of his neck and snickering somewhat. Awe, he's nervous, she can see it in his expression. Though she appreciates the fact that he seems to share that same level of nervousness as her. 

Eventually, Leon finds the words to properly respond to Sonia's statement. "A-Ah kno', ah jus' don' wanna go around seein' people takin' the mickey of ya when you're tryin' your hardest.." the boy mumbled quietly, his accent hardly audible because of how quiet he was actually mumbling. "Ya kno', ya don't 'ave to stick up fer me, either. Ah don't exactly try me hardest or anythin', ah jus' kinda sit here. So ah suppose they're better off botherin' me over botherin' you." He doesn't exactly want Sonia to thank him exclusively, he'd do this for anyone! But Sonia is his best friend and he'd defend her first and foremost.

His sheepish fluster is still making his best friend giggle and it's only progressively making him further flustered. His thoughts are cut short when a teacher approaches the classroom to hush all the children, notably the rowdy ones, and unlock the classroom door. Unlocking a classroom door in school is similar to opening a gate and unleashing a herd of Tauros into an empty field. Then watching as they charge about and flock into this field, probably ruining a few things, and then, they finally settle. You think they've calmed down but within five minutes they're ramming horns with each other and chatting about. It reminds Leon of his farm.

Tauros isn't really native to Galar as such and has to be shipped off from some private island off the coast of Galar and that is apparently incredibly expensive given that he doesn't actually have any Tauros in his fields. Not that Leon particularly cares for them, he just thinks they're neat because he saw them in a textbook one time and it had him wondering how that would actually work. Seems that he got a little distracted, however. Sonia is tugging him by the wrist and his attention turns to the flock of his classmates all trying to crowd into the classroom. The teacher is having to desperately try to separate them so that they join in different groups but it's little to no avail. 

Much to the teachers disliking, the kids crowd in at once, Sonia, Leon, and a few others following after most of the crowd dispersed into the classroom. Leon lets his friend continue to tug him along to their seats as they hear the teacher begin to call out names on the register. It all sort of drowns out to him, it's the same bland thing as before and while he's excited to be here there is one lingering question. Where is the champion? Did he leave before lunch? Was he only there for the beginning of the day? The thought alone makes a pit form in his stomach. And doubt enters in.

Doubt. It swirls in his stomach, it's overwhelming and overtaking. Every aspect of his life belongs to his doubt. He had one job today, wake up early and arrive at school on time. He can't even do that. Of course, the champion would leave early. Who would give him, a nobody from the sleepy town of Postwick, a chance anyway? No one would. He wishes he would've stayed home now. He snatches a pencil from Sonia's pencil case and absentmindedly starts to fiddle about with it. He presses the pencil on the table and starts to draw on the plastic table. It's only meant to resemble wood. Or perhaps it's covered in that protective plastic coating that his mother went on about so often. 

He continues to scribble random shapes and things on the table, trying to take his mind off of his invading negative thoughts and his self-doubt. He doesn't need these thoughts at 9-years-old. All they do is make him unhappy and he can't stand that. He finds smiling or distracting himself from the thoughts helps usually but nothing is happening or helping right now. His scribbles on the desk get more intense as he finds himself trapped in his thoughts. He won't have even have gotten a signature from the champion, his mum is going to absolutely reprimand him for oversleeping. He's not setting a very good example for his brother that'll be coming soon. The scribbles get more intense and tears blur his vision.

That's when he feels it, a poke on his shoulder. He jolts and turns around, hair bouncing about wildly as he faces the shoulder poker. Some tears are escaping down Leon's cheek, he sniffles. His vision is all blurry and he can hardly focus on this person right next to him. So they speak up in a soft tone. "Oh dear, my boy, I'm so sorry to have made you jump. But your teacher was calling out your name." Leon doesn't respond as he begins to wipe his tears away while sniffling. This person takes a glance at the scribbles on the table and their eyes widen. Such... raw emotion. They weren't even aware someone could display such raw emotion in just scribbles.

They were coloured impressed, most definitely. "Your name is Leon, right?" they continued. "Leon... Vante? That's a champion name." ...Champion... Name? The purple-haired boy looked a little confused and started to blink any remaining tears away. This... This guy looks familiar. Long eyebrows, short-ish hair. That hat. Almost like a bowlers hat. Like the one the champion wears! Suddenly, everything clicks in his brain and his eyes widen. He lets out a choked gasp. This is the champion! It's him! Champion Mustard! What does he even say?! What does he even do?! 

The boy stutters and tries to speak but all that escapes him is a bunch of gurgles and surprised mutters. He's unable to form proper sentences at all right now. He continues to stammer out his words, his eyes yet again beginning to water but out of happiness. Eventually, he manages to gurgle out his words. "M-Master Mustard! Ahm ya number one fan!" Really? Was that all he could manage to say?! He drops the pencil and gives his cheeks two quick slaps. "A-Ah- Ah save all yer matches to me box and rewatch them over an' over again until I kno' tha' method you use in each of those matches! A-And ah buy all yer posters with the money ah get from me occasional part-time job and..."

Leon falls silent after Mustard raises a hand, he stops talking. Oh no, he talked too much. He completely messed up his chances! This is all over! Mustard will never speak to him again! The boy slowly looks away in shame but he's nudged, so he turns back to face Mustard once again. "Is that so?" the champion asked him with a raised brow, actually looking somewhat impressed and intrigued. "So you get jobs and provide yourself of your own money at the age of nine? Wow. When I was nine I had barely passed trainer school, haha!" 

Where was he going with this?? Leon just chuckles awkwardly. Mustard takes the pencil from the table and analyses it. "You know, Vante, you don't seem like a bad kid. You show so much potential and raw emotion in even the simplest things. You simply fail to see it within you. So..." No way. "I wanted to make you a deal, son." No, this isn't happening. "I want to invite you to my private island, I own a dojo there and I think you have the potential to become a champion. Now all you need is the confidence to become a champion." Everyone is staring in disbelief, even the rowdy kids. Even Sonia! Did... Did Leon just get invited to train with the champion?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're interested in hearing about what other things I do in my free time you can follow me:
> 
> Instagram (Art!): @HydraMaigon  
> Twitter (WIPS, Updates of fic, other): @HMaigon
> 
> I plan to release a new chapter every 2-3 days but I'm not going to force myself to keep to that schedule!
> 
> P.s. College has started now so some chapters may take much longer!


	4. Chosen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leon and Sonia have a chat about all the events that have occurred after school, the grazed knees make a comeback.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Mild mentions of blood (It's nothing serious, Leons grazes just want a round two)

The boy sits there, his mouth agape. He's in disbelief. The thoughts in his head keep winding over and over again as he attempts to process exactly what was being told to him. Potential? Confidence? Does Mustard want to invite him to a private island?! Well, that is literally what Mustard said but... why him? He was breaking the rules after all! Scribbling on the table and all sorts! So why did Mustard look at him and go 'that one'? Others are staring at him in absolute envy, he can feel Sams jealous glare burning a hole right through him. It isn't particularly that nicest feeling but hey, it's about time Sam got a taste of something called 'Karma'. 

Leon is speechless, he knows that much. All he can do is stare at Mustard in disbelief and wait for the champion to start laughing and say something along the lines of 'haha, got you! I was just kidding!'. But instead, the champion is just looking at him expectantly and waiting. He wants to go. He really does. But does he particularly deserve it? he's not so sure about that one, honestly. He came in especially late today, all he did was get in a verbal altercation with Sam, nothing more and nothing less. He supposes he also dropped his sandwich but that didn't mean he deserved the chance to become the champion! Especially over the other children in the class that actually came to school early and actually attempted to do things, and they didn't just scribble on a table and doubt themselves.

But who would he be to say no? He hesitates and looks away from Mustard, mulling over his options for quite some time, all of them seem to lead to different paths now, though. He could continue going to school until 16, go to college, go to uni, get a degree and work a comfy job as an assistant to the chairman. He could help his mother with the farm work and move the business more commercially. He could accept this offer and have an endorsement into the seasonal league. Something he otherwise would not be able to join. He chances a glance over to his best friend who is now grinning widely and nodding her head at him enthusiastically, almost as if begging him to accept the offer silently.

It isn't like he wants to deny Mustard, so he glanced back at the champion and he nods. It's a rather quick nod with a little bit of hesitance behind it, though there was something behind Mustard's words that made Leon a little more inclined to accept. After all, who would he be to say no? Especially to such a huge offer. To seal the deal, he gives his verbal agreement, so there is no going back onto what he's agreed to now. "Awright, sounds like a plan to me. Ah'd be honoured to come to join ye on yer private dojo and learn the ways of which ya train." he accepted, suddenly feeling the glares of what feels like a thousand people on his back. 

Honestly, he can't blame them for being annoyed, they'd probably been trying so hard to grab at Mustard's attention and yet the annoying farmer peasant with a southern accent turns up, scribbles on a table, and gets chosen. Speaking of tables, he should probably get this one cleaned up. The Champion speaks as he's getting up. "I'll see to it, boy. I need you June to August. If you pass the training I'll have something very important to give you, alright?". Leon would be lying if he said that didn't excite him. He nods as he walks to the front of the class, taking a cloth and table cleaner from his teacher.

As he cleans his table he glances to the champion every so often, Mustard had moved to the back of the class after he'd grabbed the cleaning materials. He hears a few snickers as he scrubs the table clean but they can laugh all they want, he's training with the champion! They aren't! Okay, perhaps he shouldn't have such an ego, he can't let it get to his head. He can be dropped and forgotten as easily as he was chosen and he wants to show his idol that he is the correct choice. So he needs to keep his head up high but he needs to keep it high in a humble manner.

Not that a nine-year-old really knows much about being humble. The class erupts into a fit of mumbles shortly after everything calms down a little and soon Leon finds himself back in his seat where he promptly slips Sonia's pencil back into her pencil case. Even as the teacher starts the lesson, there is mumbling all throughout the lesson from different students. Leon can hear them going on and whining. Things like 'how come HE gets chosen, he hasn't been here for even half a day!' from the whiny popular gal and 'It's okay I didn't want to train with the champion anyway' from a slightly salty Sam. And he'd be lying if he said it didn't bother him. But he certainly didn't care, he was going to train with the Champion! They could whine all they wanted.

Soon the class ended and they're called out of their seats. It's basically time to go home. Turns out that he'd only spent two hours or a little more at school and he certainly got a telling off after the class ended and everyone left. Sonia had stayed behind with him, they usually took the train to and from Wedgehurst together, they'd meet up in the station in the morning and then wait for each other in the classroom after class. Once the boy has had his telling off he goes to leave the classroom. Mustard interrupts him briefly to hand him a piece of paper, neatly folded into quarters. He knows what that is, a letter to go to his mother. So he slips it into his backpack and thanks the champion before he and Sonia head off outside the school.

"So, someone got an endorsement from the very champion himself, hmmm?" Sonia mused as they headed out the school, her eyes sparkling in awe as she glanced over to her best friend before giggling. "I'm being serious, though, Leon. I'm really happy for you, I saw how he was viewing everyone else and he simply didn't look all that satisfied until he laid his eyes on you." the ginger girl then started to spin her tale on what had happened that day and her friend was more than happy to listen to her interpretation of events, she always had such a way of describing things that could encapsulate any audience, it could be about the most boring of topics like the history of Tea in Galar and she'd make it interesting.

"He came in at 8 am like the most of us did, and he sat by the teacher as she called out our names. Occasionally he would hear a name and act all surprised and shocked. It made some kids proper excited, you know!" She's off rambling, not that either of them mind, it makes for an interesting conversation. "The teacher called out my name, all like she usually does. But this time with a knowing smile. And she looks over to me and goes 'Sonia Magnolia', haha! Master Mustard looked so shocked! He glanced over to me, you know!" Ah, now she's bragging. She has every right to, Leon's sure if he was the grandson of a professor he'd brag about it too. All the time, actually. Perhaps he isn't as humble as he likes to think he is.

"And so, he looks at me, comes over and we have such a cool chat. He talks to me all about my grandmas' work and how much he admires my nana. In return I told him everything I knew, I started to recite the Pokedex, but only Galars living dex. I think I impressed him! I hadn't felt that smart for a long time!" Leon can't help but snicker at Sonia's statement, she felt smart?! Oh if only she actually listened to what she herself was saying more. She'd know she sounded smart so much more often than just that one moment. He would envy her, but he doesn't, he's actually very proud of her and happy for her instead. She's his friend and he can't bring himself to be jealous of her success. So instead, he celebrates it with her.

"But then he heard your name." Sonia glances over to Leon and smiles, grabbing his hand and hurrying their pace slightly as they continued to walk through route 5 over to the same grassy hills that Leon had ventured just hours earlier. "The teacher called out your name and his head right proper twisted. His attention basically snapped away from me and he glanced around the classroom, awaiting a response. When he didn't get one he looked so disappointed. He soon ended his conversation with me and headed back to the front of the class." The boy pauses, so his name was all it took? Just his name alone had gotten the champion's attention from his best friend of all people?

"You know, I think that's when he knew. He was telling me about the past, present, and the future and how he would probably just be able to tell when he saw and heard about the one. The one that was going to blow everyone out the water." The girl continued to ramble as they headed into the fields. "I don't think you not being there put him off, I think it excelled his mind further. He looked disappointed but he had that expression. You know, like an expression of hope that you would arrive later and he would meet you." Her friend is astounded by this analysis. She seems to know everything, it's almost as if she read right through the champion. The truth was that she just happened to be very in touch with her emotions and therefore it allowed her to connect with others and somewhat be able to relate to what they were thinking.

She too was hoping that Leon would arrive later and not mess up the only chance he had to meet his idol. Her best friend is silent for a while as he basks in all the things Sonia said to him and processes it. It is only interrupted once he finds himself tripping over a small pebble and beginning to tumble. Unfortunately, his mate is holding his hand so she's very suddenly tugged down with him, the two children tumbling down the hill quite a bit before finally, she lands with a thud. Her head on his chest. A low groan sounds from below her and she gasps, quickly scrambling to get up. It proves to be a little awkward but soon she's standing.

Leon is a different story, he's just laying on his back and groaning in pain. Ow. His knees really hurt now. He's probably grazed them even more, now! Sonia gives him a somewhat amused and somewhat sympathetic look, wow he looks like he's in quite a bit of pain, actually. So she stops looking so amused and dares to look worried. She rolls up his trouser leg and her eyes widen at the fresh blood falling from the now fresher graze. That is probably why he looks so pained. There isn't really anything they can do, they're in the middle of a field. So, she simply rolls up his other leg and tucks them in, sorts them out a little and all that to ensure no clothing will rub against the grazes and irritate them.

"Ahm sorry." He started as he allowed her to help in pulling him up. He keeps his gaze off his injured and bleeding knees. It feels better not having clothing rub against the exposed flesh but at the same time, it feels so much worse because he has the cold air hitting his skin and that in itself is a horrible feeling. It stings so much because there will be little pollen or debris which will find its way into the grazes. Or the air will blow on it in just the wrong way and the pain will be astounding. "Ah- Thank ya.." The boy muttered as his friend moved his hand over her shoulder and allowed him to lean on him as they made their way to the train station. They probably wouldn't make it in time for 4 pm but hey, at least they were having fun.

Well, Sonia was having fun, giggling and slightly struggling to hold Leon's weight. And Leon was simply trying to laugh along despite the amount of pain he's in right now. Though let's be honest, his tiny little 9-year-old mind was probably overdramatising things just a little, it wasn't all that bad! He'd just lost some skin on his knees and that meant that unfortunately, he was a little vulnerable to the surroundings and pain. But it really wasn't all as bad as the drama king was trying to make it out to be! Though he has every right to overreact slightly, he knows anyone else would be just like he is now.

They made it to the station in Motostoke after some holdbacks and a little more stumbling and Sonia sat him down on one of the seats. He can't help but give her a thankful smile, and he catches the red tinting her cheeks. Now, what did that mean? She had told him previously that she did that when she was embarrassed or flustered. And that being embarrassed or flustered is very common, that she doesn't just get it around him and that she certainly doesn't want cooties! Or... whatever they're called. Is that how it works? He watches her skip over to the person in the booth and points over to him, requesting for first aid, or at least some bandages, wipes, that sort of first aid like thing, he doesn't know how first aid works!

Soon, she's headed back over to him and suddenly he feels something cold and stinging "Ah! Sonia!" He complained to his friend who simply pressed a finger to his lips in a way to hopefully shut him up and just continue to care for the grazes on his knees. He supposes that the sooner they are taken care of, the less his mother will complain. But he knows his ma will want to have a look and a little whine about how clumsy her boy is anyway. Not that it really matters, she's still very affectionate and he loves every drop of affection from her. So he does go silent, now watching as Sonia places some cotton on the graze of his left leg and wounds a bandage around it, same with his right leg. Leon doesn't say it enough but he knows he's thankful for having such a caring friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're interested in hearing about what other things I do in my free time you can follow me:
> 
> Instagram (Art!): @HydraMaigon  
> Twitter (WIPS, Updates of fic, other): @HMaigon
> 
> I plan to release a new chapter every 2-3 days but I'm not going to force myself to keep to that schedule!  
> P.s. College has started now so some chapters may take much longer!


	5. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leon and Sonia have a giggle and then go home.

After his knees are patched up, Sonia takes a seat next to him and sighs, setting her hand on his and relaxing before giggling to herself. She can see his widened smile and the gratefulness in his eyes. She doesn't know why he's the grateful one, though, if anything, she should be the grateful one. She is friends with a ray of sunshine that never dims and she doesn't think she could be luckier, it's not every day you befriend such a bright-eyed and bright-smiling person. Especially not a cute boy, at that! They both quite appreciate each other, but Sonia thinks she would win that argument in the long run. She could go on all day about how much she admires her friend beside her.

Though, she realises that she doesn't exactly see Leon as just a friend. He's just... so nice! So talented, such a nice boy. She loves his accent and the way he smiles. How he reacts, or just how he acts in general, the way he seems to treat everyone with a kindness that's been buried deep within him. The way he goes on and on about his farm and his beloved Boltund, Bolt. He even has this way with how he treats animals, it's incredibly nice to see him handle all the pokemon in his vicinity with such care. Once he had found a Rookidee with a broken wing and taken it back home to nurse it to health himself! He didn't quite know all the basics and had to go to Sonia's house to get some extra help but it was still certainly admirable.

And he's always trying his hardest, even if he finds himself injured or against the odds, he will push himself farther and beyond to incredible heights. That is admirable in herself, it's why many of the younger students of the school see him as a role model, despite how oblivious he is to it sometimes. Oh, that's another thing! He's a little bit of a dork, so dumb and oblivious and yet somehow that works to his favour. He doesn't come across as sheltered or anything, he certainly doesn't come across as stupid. But he's on the lovable but dumb line, a little bit stupid and dense, oblivious to the impact he makes and unknowing to the feelings he causes others to have (namely Sonia), but still wise and loveable in his own particular way.

Even when he is kinda dumb, she can't help but appreciate him all a little bit more. It sounds stupid but every time he tilts his head or looks confused, even more, if he arches an eyebrow in a questioning matter, it makes her want to just squeal out and hug him. Her face begins to burn a bright red and she feels what she's always thought of butterflies in her stomach, her heart feels like it's racing a marathon, thumping against her chest wildly. Almost so much so that she is concerned Leon will hear her heart thumping and question her on it. And she can't tell if that would make her be happy or make her cry in embarrassment. She'd be so happy if he turned to her suddenly and started complimenting her like he always did and then gave her a little flower.

But then, she realises he does that all the time anyway. Did it mean he returned her feelings? No, no it didn't. Far from it, actually. It doesn't seem like he likes her at all, sure he says nice things to her and he gives her gifts and flowers but it always seems so platonic and so overly friendly. Never once has she gotten that aura of 'I think I like you', not toward her. Not at all from her best friend, actually. He hadn't given off a singular romantic vibe toward anyone. She isn't sure if that's relieving or disappointing, at least if he likes someone she could move on. Perhaps he would even like her. She knows she's not telling him though, she should, then she would get his true feelings in return. But she just can't.

It would be too hard for her to admit it and she doesn't think she could stand the rejection, so she keeps her mouth clamped shut and her hand on top of Leon. It seems a lot of time has passed of them sitting there in silence, staring at the wall and perhaps sharing the occasional glance to each other, but they are interrupted when they hear the screeching sound of train wheels against rails. And they hear the announcer over the speaker calling out for them to board the train. Well, not just them, everyone else too, but it always feels a little more special when they perceive it as someone speaking directly to them. Sonia gives her friends' hand a squeeze before getting up.

"Come on, Leon. Let's go get that train!" The ginger girl spoke, looking over to Leon just to find her friend is actually passing her and already at the ticket barriers. "H-hey!" she yelled out, chasing after him and making him laugh as he passed the barriers. He'll wait for her, she knows it, he knows it, and he does, He opens the train door and waits. Is he opening it for her? She finds out once she passes the barrier and walks toward him. He gives her a little nod before bowing his head and gesturing to the door. Aw! He is! She giggles and enters the train, her friend following behind her as she leads them both to a seat and promptly relaxes, sighing in relief.

"Ya kno', Ah just realised that me trouser legs are still rolled up." Leon suddenly admitted with a sheepish grin, he stares at her, his face a little red in embarrassment and Sonia can't help it. She bursts out into fits of giggles as does he, the two laughing away and barely able to manage to spell out a single word that doesn't make them sound like complete idiots. It's such a random thing to say at such a random time and yet it only proved to push the two friends closer and closer together. Friends. Sonia wants to cry at the word, and she would in any other circumstance. But for once she's happy just to laugh away at this joke that honestly isn't even all that funny anymore.

They surprisingly reach Wedgehurst quickly, or perhaps it feels like it is quicker simply because they've been laughing and joking about. And of course, sparing a glance out the window. Leon even saw a Wooloo tumbling down the hill and couldn't help but break out into another fit of laughter. He knew the Wooloo would be absolutely fine, they could fall off a cliff and yet with the amount of fluff they have, they'd never actually be injured. He saw it as rather fascinating. Sonia had been worried and reprimanded him for laughing at a sheep that might be in pain until he told her how it worked and both of them continued to have a laugh.

The screeching of wheels against the track can be heard once more as the announcer speaks up, mentioning they're finally at their destination. The ginger girl is the first to get up and rush to the door, she would usually let her best friend do it but he'd had enough trouble opening the door this morning as he'd been relaying the story to her on the journey back home. It may or may not have been just a tiny bit over-exaggerated so he didn't make himself come across as a total idiot, because it was 100% his fault the door wasn't opening, he'd not been pushing it enough.

Nonetheless, it was a funny situation to hear about. Sonia opens the door gently and then exits the train and waits for her friend to do the same. The idiot still hasn't rolled down his trouser legs and she can't help but snicker at that because the thought is now forever buried in her head. She will never not find that hilarious now. She's going to constantly bring it up to him now, he'll never be able to have his trousers rolled up in peace again, she'll make sure of it! She's going to keep this joke running until they're frail and boring like her grandfather! She leads him over to a seat and yanks down his trouser legs while still snickering to herself about the whole ordeal.

"Ah could've done tha' meself ya kno'." Leon told her as he got up and began to head out the station with her. And Sonia knew, alright. She could've just let him do it himself but she knows how forgetful he is and that he'd just run back home with grazes all over his knees which was honestly never a good look. Then he'd probably get reprimanded further than he had been already by his mother for being such a clutz and dragging his knees into the battle zone. But that's what she likes about his mother, Daphne cares a lot about her son and it's clear to see. The love runs deep in the whole family, they're all very close and they all get along. Sonia knows she shouldn't be so jealous her friend is happy but she can't help it. 

It doesn't matter how she feels though, that has been touched upon plenty of times. It will never matter how she feels because she'll never tell him. She knows that's the whole point of having friends, she doesn't mind telling him things or anything like that. She just knows that sometimes emotions are better kept to oneself no matter what the consequences are or how close the friend is to her. It's not that she can deal with her emotions better on her own, it's just that she doesn't particularly want to tell anyone. They scan their ticket and are allowed through the barrier. So she makes one last-ditch attempt and reaches out, grabbing her friends hand and squeezing it.

Leon acknowledges her with a smile and this time he pulls his hand free of her grip. Her heart drops and she bows her head in shame, looking away and sighing quietly. "I'm going now," she told him as they exited the station "You make sure you're actually on time to class tomorrow, okay?" his friend teased quietly, then the girl began to head down route 2. She called behind her once more "Oh! And be careful! Don't run and batter your knees even more or I'm going to batter them for you!" he knew she was lying and yet he couldn't help but let a chuckle slip free at what she said. It's such an aggressive thing to come from such a sweet and otherwise ordinary girl! 

He's alone now, that note from the champion in his backpack. And he is giddier than ever to head back hold and show his mother just exactly what's happened. Well, probably after he gets his scolding for being late and being clumsy but he knows she only does it because she cares. So he continues onward with his journey, he sees a Rookidee waddling beside him and so him, being a very forgetful and stupid boy, decides that he wants to race this baby bird and he wants to win. He lets out a laugh as he takes off and surprisingly the Rookidee flies after him, chirping away and circling him as he runs. Soon he knows he's in route one due to all the Wooloo chasing after him too.

Soon he makes it to the front door of his house, panting and huffing. His knees really hurt and he can feel the sweat on the exposed skin, such an awful feeling! Who gave that permission to be there?! He dislikes it but nonetheless, he moves on. He opens the front door with ease. "Ma!" He called out, no response. "Ma! Ahm home!!" He tried again. Nothing. What was the time? Had she gone out? Had there been a bad emergency? Was she so worried about him being late that she went to route 5 to pick him up herself? Leon feels a pit form in his stomach as he stands there quietly. Maybe he's overreacting but his mother is nowhere to be seen and he's panicking! 

He's absorbed into his own world and is blissfully unaware of the backdoor closing and opening. And suddenly he feels arms around him. And he almost sobs in relief, hugging back. That's when he earns a squeeze and he knows he's in trouble. A panic attack won't get him out of this, nor did he really want it to. Daphne gives him a gentle glare and releases him, kneeling down so they're eye to eye and watching her son desperately try to avoid eye contact like the guilty troublemaker he is. But she knows he can't resist for long, as does he. Because eventually, they meet eyes and he can no longer avoid it. Her gaze is like magnets and sometimes he can't help but despise that of his mother. Why must she be so good at telling him off?! 

"Leon Vante, young man, do ye have any clue just how paranoid ye made yer mother?!" and so the reprimanding begins and honestly it's not so bad. Yes, his mother yells a lot but she also cries a lot more. She's expecting his little brother after all and with his father nowhere in sight, she's been rather the emotional mess. Soon she's done yelling and sobbing and instead, she gets up. She looks at him with an unreadable expression. "..Did ye at least get to see yer idol?" Daphne then asked, because of course she still cared about that. Ultimately it's her fault he didn't wake up on time and if he missed his idol she was sure she'd never forgive herself.

"Actually..." Leon's voice sounded hopeful and that got his mother to look up with a glimmer of hope in her eyes. And he knows that she's going to be so happy for him once she reads through this letter and finds out about everything. How he was offered to train with the champion, how he was the once who gave off 'champion vibes'. In fact, he is very proud of himself as he takes his backpack off and slides the letter out. "He was actually at the schule, Ah thought ah missed him but ahh... he ended up surprising me just a wee bit." She listened to her son quietly and slowly took the letter from his hands. It was folded ever so neatly so immediately she knew he wasn't lying.

Not that her son would lie to her anyway. "Awright," she responded before smiling to him and ruffling his hair. "Ah'll read right through it right here an right now." And this is what got Leon worried because he didn't actually know what the letter said. All he can hope is that it is something positive and the champion has said some proper nice things about him and not something like 'your son was late but he has a cool name and purple hair so I invited him to my dojo'. That would be embarrassing, though he should know his idol well enough to where his idol wouldn't do something like that. Thing is, that was exactly the Mustard thing to do. So, the letter is opened and Leon not so eagerly awaits for his mother's reaction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're interested in hearing about what other things I do in my free time you can follow me:
> 
> Instagram (Art!): @HydraMaigon  
> Twitter (WIPS, Updates of fic, other): @HMaigon
> 
> I plan to release a new chapter every 2-3 days but I'm not going to force myself to keep to that schedule!
> 
> P.s. College has started now so some chapters may take much longer!


	6. Pride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daphne is very proud of what the letter says about her son

Daphne scans through the letter a few times, her eyes dart frantically back and forth on the page and she keeps re-reading certain segments of it over and over again as she tries to process this through her brain. She's not the smartest lady out there but she's trying her hardest. All the words in this written letter are quite a bit complicated. Like 'Destined', she knows of the word and why it would be used in a situation like this but did it have to be so complicated within its wording? She feels like she's reading a test paper or an essay that had to reach a certain word capacity. Her eyes widen as she once again reads it over, her son stood in front of her awkwardly. 

'Dear Mrs.Vante,

As I'm sure you were already aware of, I had visited the local school on route 5 today (May the 4th, 2000). This was so I could review the activities the school has established for the children of the region and to also see the potential that those in less urbanised areas have. Of course, there was a lot of potential, I had my eye on a lot of students and they were all incredibly talented within their own rights. However, it truly felt like none seemed fit, I feared that perhaps I would have to leave the school without an endorsement and that would mean I would leave a lot of potential behind. But that was when I heard your sons name. Immediately I knew he was the one I had been searching for. Just his name alone I could see spreading far and wide as an elite trainer.

Much to my disappointment, he wasn't present in the school. I hadn't been able to spot him anywhere, neither could I spot him. He hadn't even responded to his name. Initially, I was disheartened. Perhaps he had gotten ill on the worst day imaginable and couldn't attend. I couldn't help but hold onto the slim hope that perhaps he would come in, just a little later than usual. My hopes had died down by lunch and I was sorting out a speech to apologise to the class for my lack of endorsement, how they all had this equal potential and I couldn't pick a singular one from the crowd since they all were amazing. As I left the break room after lunch, I heard it, a rough accent that sounded like it was native to Southern Galar, particularly from Postwick given the dialect.

I was intrigued. There he was, standing up for this kind girl I had been talking to earlier. I assumed they were friends due to the fact they were both standing up for each other during this incident and she only had positive things to say on her feedback of Leon earlier. When I saw his fiesty attitude and how he stood up for others and yet acted so humble after the conflict had come to an end. Well, as humble as a 9-year-old could be. I found myself in awe, I couldn't help but simply admire your son as he took down what seemed to be his biggest critics. Not because they criticised him but because they criticised his friend. It was truly a heartwarming thing to see that I found myself invested in his nature. I hadn't seen him earlier in the class so I came to the easy conclusion that this must be the boy who's name had caught my attention.

The class had been called inside and I waited outside to write this exact letter that you are reading and prepare everything. I had to make sure the events were recounted as accurately and true to heart as possible after all, I wanted my letter to convey my feelings and my reasoning behind the choices I would make. When I made my way into the classroom, I saw him. But he looked like a mess. Mrs.Vante, if I could put into words how troubled and distressed he appeared. He didn't appear happy in the slightest. I could see the disappointment brewing in him. He was scribbling on the table, not random graffiti scribbles but scribbles full of pain and emotion and anguish. I had never seen a scribble with that much emotion in it.

So I walked over to him and I consoled him by doing what I do best. Surprising him and Endorsing him.

Mrs.Vante, I want to endorse your son. I will give him a ticket to go to my private island and he can train with me there. I will help him get what he deserves, he will learn what confidence is. He will learn the ways of battling and then I will give him my endorsement into the league where he can and will go far. I see potential in your son, I think he is destined for greatness and I want permission to be able to take him away for a month or so to teach him the ways of a true champion. Whilst I don't think he'd be able to beat me and become champion I do believe he could be a seriously fantastic elite trainer and a good role model to a lot of other children. It isn't every day you get to join the league this young.

Moreso though, I want your permission. I know he wants to train with me and that he is clever enough to do so. All I need you to do is get him on a train on the 26th of June and have him come to my dojo with a letter of permission. I know perhaps it isn't the most effective way of asking for a parents permission but with you being across the region I cannot particularly think of a better way to ask you. The tickets are taped to the back of the ticket. If you do not approve of this then you can come to the dojo and tell me yourself. However, I will remind you that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I would hate to see someone with such potential have it thrown away.

Kind Regards, Champion Mustard'

Daphne lifts her eyes from the letter and turns it around, staring at the tickets which are indeed taped to the back of it. She placed it on the side to be forgotten for now and lets out a squeal, embracing her son and hugging him tightly. She doesn't say anything but Leon assumes that is a good reaction, he has no reason to think it isn't a good reaction. Soon his mother pulls away and moves his fringe out of his eyes. She still hasn't said anything to him just smiling away and humming. She understood every word now, having to have to read through it a few times before she got the message. Her son has been chosen for a once in a lifetime endorsement, from what sounded like a weird accident.

She was excited and happy for him. Who was she to stop her son from doing something that he certainly had a passion in? It would make him happy and that was really all she wanted from her children. She just wanted them to be happy, though she knew this meant that she would practically be alone with her new baby boy. She would have to make the most of Leons company while she could, her young little boy will be carted off to the isle of armour soon and then carted into the league. Of course, she's sure it will probably be equally as overwhelming for him, a mere nine-year-old set on a journey against a roster of other pokemon trainers who may have been on this journey plenty of times before. But she believes in her little boy. 

He can do it Especially with the champion training him. And she'll give him all the moral support that he needs, she'll cheer him on at all the stadiums and she'll make sure his confidence is increased by ten folds and that he has the personality and the quip of an elite trainer. She once took part in the league herself, she knows how it works and how to make friends. She knows what personality is the healthiest and how to get a rival! She can even teach him how to have a relationship when he's older. That's how she met her husband after all. Her, Raphael and Aaron were all rivals. Rivals turned to lovers and poor Aaron had cast himself away to the confines of Hammerlocke castle. She hopes his life is treating him fairly now, he was a really good rival and he treated her and her husband with so much patience and kindness.

She doesn't let the topic stay in her mind for long, she needs to focus on more important topics such as praising her son. Her anger is forgotten and her worry shoved to its own confines. "Me wee Dandelion..." She mumbled, unable to hold back tears. They start to pour down her eyes as she finds herself eye to eye with her little boy. A boy who isn't even 10. Her baby. She feels he's barely left her womb as she cups his cheeks. His little sibling is causing her to have a little bit of emotional distress, as well as seeing her little baby grow up so fast. It felt as if just yesterday she had been dressing him for the first day ever or school and now here he was, with a letter of endorsement from the champion himself.

"My baby..." Daphne wipes her tears away, now is not the time to get emotional. She needs to be strong and supportive and a mother to look up to! Especially considering that Raphael won't do anything to make himself more admirable in the slightest. She feels bad because all he does is push Leon away. Her boy may be a little too energetic and loud, she knows what her husband likes. Sitting around and doing nothing and watching TV. Complaining when Leon made the slightest sound. Raphael didn't really like loud noises either but she didn't see him complaining at the loud pokemon roars on TV. She has no right to complain though, he may be half the man she loved but she still deeply cares for him.

"Dandelion, Ahm so proud of you." She managed to whisper out. She wishes she could spew all her emotions out and shower her child in affection. But just by the sweet nickname she had given him, Leon understands. She struggles to say her emotions and she's getting emotional again. The boy doesn't understand why she's crying so much. What had been in that letter that had caused her emotions to be thrown about so roughly that she was such a mess? Or more likely the thought in his head: Why is she crying at some words? It isn't that important! He understands the importance of this letter, of course. But he doesn't know the context, so his presumed letter seems much less important than the one Daphne actually received. 

"Baby, ya're gonna go to tha isle of armour and ya're gonna blow that champ away!" She straightened her back and nodded to him, her confidence wavering in her eyes. "Ahm gonna give ya everythin' ya need to make sure yer the star of that show!" If her son will be endorsed and supported by the champion then she's going to make sure that everyone knows it! She moves his hair about before pausing. "Ah think ah know what we need ta do first. But only if ya wanna. Come with me." and so she takes her little Dandelions hand and leads him into the light. Where promptly she moves the scissors off of a draw. Ones to cut hair with. She glances to her boy to double-check for permission. Mostly because she'd feel terrible chopping his hair without his consent. Not that she'll be changing much.

And when he gave her a nod of confirmation with a little bit of hesitance behind it, she cut. The fringe was straightened and left a little longer at the edges and then there were two segments of haircut a little shorter and fluffed up around the ears. Then she worked on his shortened mane a little, chopping at higher places until it looked like he had wings. Honestly, she had no idea what she was doing but she was pretty proud of the outcome in the end. He looked cute! Hopefully, it wouldn't get him any more school issues as he'd been upset over their rampant bullying over his accent, but she knew what children were like and he'd probably get mocked nonetheless, unfortunately.

So she spoke. "Dandelion if those children bully ye at schule ya gotta remind them who exactly got sponsored by the champion, ya got me?" maybe it was a selfish thing to teach her child, but did she care? No, no not really. Should she care? Probably. At least those kids had woken up on time dressed the best they could and had been ready to show Mustard their potential and perhaps some of them had even prepared speeches. It was wrong to be shoving it in their faces and using it against them and she as an adult knew that. But really what else was her little baby supposed to do or say? It wasn't like he could come up with a genuinely good argument! Though he did have his moments of utter genius where he would say simply the most outstanding insults that even hurt her.

Of course, he's not the type of boy who likes to insult people, usually, they have it coming to them or he's in a particularly bad mood in which he usually huffs about and grumbles under his breath until their Boltund, Bolt, comes and cheers him up with kisses and attention. That reminds her! That is exactly how she can effectively reward him! "Awight lad, ya can go play with wee Bolt, ya deserve it after havin' pulled such a twist!" she told him, watching her son's face light up with a grin and chuckling. She pats him on the back, moving away and letting him run off to go bother poor Bolt. They'll be playing around for a good while now and Bolt never minded her Dandelions playful attitude.

She glances into the living room where her husband is sat on the sofa watching the latest football match of Hammerlocke vs Motostoke. And for a moment she considers joining him but she knows he would just complain. She can ask about the match at dinner. So she makes herself useful doing just that, making dinner. Something that her Leon would enjoy. Just to reward her son furthermore because she can't express how much of a big deal this is to her. To them. Perhaps she will also tell Raphael about his achievements at dinner too. That should bring an uncommon smile to his lips. The woman can only hope that. She hears Bolt barking in the other room and lets out a giggle. Her Dandelion is such a lucky lad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're interested in hearing about what other things I do in my free time you can follow me:
> 
> Instagram (Art!): @HydraMaigon  
> Twitter (WIPS, Updates of fic, other): @HMaigon
> 
> I plan to release a new chapter every 4-5 days but I'm not going to force myself to keep to that schedule!
> 
> P.s. College has started now so some chapters may take much longer!


	7. Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Baby Hop is here!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING:   
> Mild mentions of birth, I don't go too into detail because it makes me a little squeamish so I tried to describe it as best as possible. Still, if you don't like birth or pregnancy you don't have to read this chapter!

It's been a few weeks since Daphne read that letter about the endorsement and gave her son the A-Ok to go on his own journey and explore his own path. He isn't going right now, instead, he's due to leave at the end of June. And right now it's nearing the end of May. She is sitting down with her hands planted calmly on her lower stomach and her glaringly obvious baby bump, rubbing it and humming. The little human is going to want to say hello to the world soon and she is more than happy that she is the woman to introduce them to it. Raphael isn't around right now, it's 4:17 pm on the 21st of May, the only one about is Leon. He isn't with her though, instead, he's roughhousing with Bolt.

She's told her lad many times to be gentle with their Boltund. It isn't like the pokemon can't take a little bit of roughhousing but to be wrestled about with constantly on a whim is probably exhausting for the doggo. Daphne knows she certainly wouldn't be able to be roughed about at all hours of the day when her little boy wasn't at school or doing schoolwork. She's almost tempted to scold him but she knows that it's making him happy and there is no real harm done providing that Bolt didn't electrocute him or anything which is very unlikely. The worst she'd gotten was a little static shock when she'd been petting him too roughly one time. She was very careful about that now, especially considering she doesn't want to hurt her baby.

Though, if her son wants to muck around and accidentally shock himself then he can be her guest. It isn't like it'll harm him, in fact, it will probably warn him against playing with Bolt so roughly. She feels like a mean mum for thinking this but she would 100% laugh if Leon got sparked by Bolt. It isn't like he wouldn't deserve it. Now, if Bolt were to bite him or claw him that would be a completely different situation and she would, of course, pry them apart and scold her pokemon. She would probably shut Bolt outside in his dog house while she would see to Leon. And then, she would let Bolt back out and scold him some more. Though she wouldn't do anything too extreme, pokemon are quick learners and there's no need to hurt two beings. Bolt wouldn't harm her little boy anyway so she doesn't need to really think about that sort of situation. 

Daphnes thoughts are interrupted by pain. That probably isn't good. She rubs her stomach soothingly and makes an assortment of shushing noises. But there is no avail. Of all days she had experienced pain, this had to be the worst yet. She's sure it will be over in no time. Leon, though, is unaware of the pain she is going through. He's interrupted from his roughhousing when a scream of his name leaves his mother. And he jumps into panic mode, running into the living room, hardly having enough time to process things before he's being ordered to rush to the kitchen and dial his grandparents with his mothers' phone. So he just obeys and rushes into the kitchen, grabbing the phone and calling up his grandparents.

The next few hours were incredibly eventful, grandma Christina and grandpa Ein had rushed straight to Postwick, they hadn't lived too far away in the first place due to Raphael being so unhelpful. And they had to take her to the Motostoke hospital via the back of a Corviknight they owned. Ein took his mother while Christina (she actually preferred being called Nana Chrissy) had taken Leon and sprinted to the train station to take them to Motostoke immediately. Chrissy luckily has a lot of money being a retired elderly lady in a time period where it was easier to make money. So she's able to pay for their tickets and lead her grandson onto the next train with no issue.

Leon doesn't really know what's going on. He's a little scared for his mother but Chrissy puts his concerns to rest on their way to Motostoke. She places a wrinkled hand on his young and small one as she attempted to think of how to explain this in the least icky and disgusting way possible. She doesn't want to make him uncomfortable nor make him scared of something natural. Though fearing this sort of thing is okay. She certainly doesn't want to wreck his innocence. So after some thinking, she speaks up. "See, mum has a surprise visit from someone very special. She needs to go to the hospital to help him visit though. When we arrive there you can't do anything until they've come to say hi for good. Until then you can just cuddle your Nana Chrissy. I promise mum and this special visitor will be okay."

He really had no reason not to believe her so he just nodded along to whatever his nana was saying. They had arrived at the hospital not too long after but his nana was absolutely set in stone that he was not to even go near the room his mother was in. So they were sat in the lobby and Chrissy was letting him play on her phone that she has brought. One of those Applin 3GS's or whatever, she didn't particularly understand technology but she liked to be as up-to-date with the newest tech. One day it will get too complicated for her and she'll have to settle for older devices. But for now, it isn't particularly unbearable, the devices come with understandable instructions and they allow her to have easier contact with people.

It's been a few hours by now, Chrissy is holding a sleeping Leon against her, running her fingers through his lilac hair, admiring its length and just how obedient it seemed to be. There didn't seem to be a singular knot within his huge bulk of hair even though it was very dense. Then again, it was also only shoulder length so perhaps there wasn't enough hair to knot. She really liked the wings that he'd gotten. They were incredibly fun to play with and more than enough times she had grabbed them and flapped them about like she was playing with a Rookidee. Perhaps that was a little immature of her to do but it wasn't like there was anything more interesting to take note of. 

It's then she realises that a doctor is heading her way, looking both pleased and a little troubled. So she turns her head to him to mirror his look and receive any news. Hopefully, it isn't too devastating. She couldn't imagine the heartbreak if either her daughter or their 'little visitor' didn't make it. And she certainly couldn't imagine telling Leon that bad news. "Uh excuse me, ma'am, you wouldn't happen to be Mrs Marigold, by chance?" Chrissy perks at hearing her name and visibly nods to the doctor. He nodded and scurries off momentarily to fetch something, Most likely a clipboard of something similar like that. But, soon he's returning with the clipboard in his hands with a still somewhat nervous expression.

"Alright, ma'am. Is it alright if I could sit beside you?" Chrissy responded with a curt nod, she can feel Leon shifting about on her so she gently places a hand on his shoulder and gives him a firm shake. The movement almost instantly wakes him up, though she gently places a finger to his lip and gestures to the doctor sitting down. "Hello, Mrs Marigold, my name is Steven Pines though you can refer to me as Doctor Pines if you prefer. I have come here to inform you of the situation regarding your daughter and her baby." She's nervous because this sounds incredibly important and part of her wishes perhaps the doctor is playing some sort of act and everything will turn out to be fine.

"Well, the baby is fine as is your daughter first and foremost." Chrissy allows herself to let out a silent sigh of relief and pets her hand though her grandsons head once more since her movements had stilled from even the thought of bad news. She can tell Leon is a little confused so she nods along, hoping perhaps Doctor Pines would give them both some more information. And of course, the doctor does. "It's actually a boy, born on the 21st of May, 10:04 pm. Mrs Vante chose to call the little boy 'Hop', apparently after a plant, that or because it just sounded like a happy name. At that point, she was quite tired and we couldn't catch her every word."

Leon catches and holds onto this every word. He then pauses as he begins to process this. A boy? Born today? 'Hop'? He's very excited suddenly. Does he have a little brother? That's the little sibling? Chrissy can feel her grandson basically buzzing in excitement. He wants to see this little brother! So he perks his head up but she gently pushes it back down. "It's late, Leon. Not time to see your little brother. I'm sure you can see him tomorrow." She likes the name her Daffodil has chosen, Daphne has always been good with names after all. Leon whined a little but she simply shook her head and chanced a glance to the doctor. "When do you think we'll be able to see them?"

Doctor Pines seemed to hesitate for a few minutes before sighing, "She's staying the night and unfortunately we cannot have visitors around too late. Especially considering you've got a little boy with you. We'll be sending you, Mr Marigold and your... grandson." He eyed Chrissy wearily for a moment but after she nodded along he realised he wouldn't be reprimanded for assuming the correct parental role. He silently let out a sigh of relief "We'll be sending you home now and transferring Mrs Vante to another ward specifically not for childbirth so that she can rest and that we can have a suite free. It is an incredibly hard time for us right now and there are a lot of... surprise visitors, let's say. Heh!"

Chrissy couldn't help but snicker because earlier she had used that exact phrase to describe Hop. Though she started to get up and nodded "Of course, We'll come to pick her up around 10 am tomorrow, we'll come in a Corviknight Cab and have it wait for us. Will little Hop be ready to come home soon too?" Though she was not too eager to hear the response. She wanted Hop to be home as soon as possible but it wasn't likely that as soon as possible would be soon. It certainly wouldn't be tomorrow, they would need to wait for the new arrival to be checked over and for the doctors and nurses to give them all the A-OK. She is certainly confident that Hop will be okay, however. It shan't take long for him to come home.

Doctor Pines shook his head "My apologies, soon can vary in some cases but we will need to hold him through tomorrow at least. He's still very newborn and we want to ensure he can make it through the night as well as to confirm or deny if he has any issues. While this is not Mrs Vantes first child and there is less likely to be certain issues we simply want to make sure he'll be okay. That being said, Hop is a wonderful baby boy and such a fighter. He came into the world with such a lively attitude and so in tune with the world." Chrissy felt her grandson flop in disappointment but she personally couldn't help but snicker at his words. This Pines bloke was very comforting and helpful. Overall, a very nice doctor.

It is then that her husband finally enters the room and then ushers for them to get up. She stands, picking up Leon. Wow. He's a heavy, tall, boy! She forgets now that he's 9 years of age and not 9 minutes. Time goes incredibly quickly and her baby grandson is not such a baby. She's struggling to hold him a little because he's so much heavier than he was as a child but he's already asleep in her arms and she would feel ever so guilty if she let him down and had him walk alongside her. Even just to the train or taxi. She can even feel his calm breathing and see his peaceful expression. He must be having nice dreams and she certainly doesn't want to disturb him now.

"Thank you, Doctor Pines." Chrissy bowed her head to the doctor and then began to head out the hospital with Ein trailing behind her. She assumes he had already ordered a taxi and was proven correct once she saw the Corviknight cab stood in front of the hospital. They can pay once they enter the taxi. And soon after they do so, Ein opens the door for his wife and grandson and Chrissy enters the cab and sits down, curling Leon into her lap and making sure to comfy him all up. Her husband had even thrown his jacket over him and she had arranged it more to act as a blanket and warm him up. It is incredibly late after all. And it is dark. Though it isn't particularly cold, it is a may in 2010. The wind may be cold but the air is not. Nonetheless, at least Leon was all cosy and sleeping away. She holds him close and pets his hair.

She and her husband have a small discussion throughout the journey back to Postwick, not minding the sleepy Leon. She mentions how excited and pleased she is for the new addition but also how disappointed she is in Raphael for not being there to witness his son coming into the world. Ein doesn't jump to his defence, he agrees and mentions something along the lines of how Raphael should be a real man and stop paying so much attention to the box. He is hardly ever home for his first son. It is such a shame since Raphael had been such a charmer when he was younger. But Raphael aside they decided to go in silence for the rest of the tip. Ein sets a hand on Chrissys and they stared out the window at the stars in the sky, watching the world go by. So long, little Hop. Soon they'll get to see you properly and Leon will be able to play with him properly. That is what Leon has been dreaming about, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're interested in hearing about what other things I do in my free time you can follow me:
> 
> Instagram (Art!): @HydraMaigon  
> Twitter (WIPS, Updates of fic, other): @HMaigon
> 
> I plan to release a new chapter every 7 days but I'm not going to force myself to keep to that schedule!
> 
> P.s. College has started now so some chapters may take much longer!


	8. Bolt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there is a lot of bolting and bolt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First and foremost: I am really sorry for not updating, I got hit with the most nasty writers block, and college has been throwing assignments at us left right and center. That being said I'm working on a Halloween RaiLeon one shot just for the fun of it and hopefully it can bring some smiles. I will also obviously be working on this!

"Nana!" A familiar voice echoes down the stairs "Nana! Nana! I want to show you something!" and just like that Katherine Magnolia knows that her day of peace, quiet and tranquillity is over. She hears the heavy footsteps down the stairs from the only person with enough confidence to actually run down the stairs, her granddaughter who lives with her permanently as she has done from a young age. That and her granddaughter is now the only one physically able to run down the steep stairs that wound around the corner, if she were to attempt that she'd be looking at a broken spine and just not being able to get up. That is why instead she and her husband, Ivan, sleep in the shed outside of the house or in the lower floor bedroom.

"Nana!" finally, the voice is right beside her and booming with excitement, so Magnolia opens her eyes to gaze at her granddaughter with curiosity set deep within her eyes. Though she can't help but spare a few minutes to just sit and admire. It is a shame her daughter is too caught up within the confines of her work to pay attention to the newest addition to her family, but Magnolia certainly will. Sonia is a gorgeous little girl, a pale complexion with freckles littered across her face, mostly over the nose and lesser on the cheeks. Magnolia certainly envies her hair, its a very bright orange, a rare ginger that not many people in many regions have, it glows in the sun and has all these blonde and red highlights to it, how could she possibly be related to something that was so beautiful?

"Nana!" Whoops, looks like she zoned out, her eyes move back to Sonias face instead of admiring her hair. She couldn't help but snicker at her expression, seeing her huge pout and her body language, how her arms were crossed and how her eyes were narrowed. And that only made Magnolia chuckle more because her granddaughter is being a dramatic little mare. She obviously caught that off her distant great aunt, and Magnolia can't resist a good chuckle when she sees the similarities, she's sure that Opal would be so happy to see her great-niece taking their natural dramatic talent to its full potential. She then moves to tilt her head, this time showing that she's interested in hearing what Sonia has to say.

"Look!" The ginger girl spoke as she held out a piece of paper, shoving it into her grandmothers face, the elderly woman takes a minute to push the paper further away and readjusts her glasses, focusing on the paper and suddenly feeling very overwhelmed with pride. Atop that paper is a beautiful drawing of a Feebas, most likely one that Sonia had seen swimming about in the lake outside their laboratory. Of course, it could use some improving, parts of the anatomy are wrong and the lines are shaky but Magnolia can't bring herself to criticise it any more than that, her grandchild had put so much care and thought into the drawing and she wouldn't want to dishearten her little drama queen, not even with her thoughts.

"Sunshine that's absolutely beautiful!" She praised as she gently took the drawing from Sonia and scanned it over a few times, there was most definitely a hidden talent within this girl, how she had managed to replicate a pokemon in a drawing when most artists on these lands struggle to illustrate them proportionately. Sonia's smile glows like the sun as she receives this praise and Magnolia just wants to give her more, seeing her shining bright like the sun and beaming with pride, it just brought a certain softness to the usually quite stern and professional elder. "Actually, you know what I'm going to do?" She queried as she got up and reached out to grab her walking stick, getting up and groaning.

She can feel the curious gaze on her as she made her way over to the kitchen, the sound of slippers gently smacking across the hard floor. "I'm going to put it on the fridge," she claimed to the child who was most definitely following her, heading to the fridge and moving one of the many magnets off, examining where exactly the paper could go before placing it in the upper corner of the fridge and stamping the magnet back on top of the paper, keeping it attached to the fridge while being careful that the magnet doesn't cover up any of the beautiful work that Sonia had spent her time studying and somewhat perfecting to a particular degree. She just wants to show her granddaughter just how proud she is.

Perhaps she can do even more, so she turns to her little drama queen, back bent slightly since it rather aches from having to rely on this walking stick. "Nana is proud of you, little sunny." She will continue to praise Sonia, she deserves to know just how inspiring and great this drawing is after all! But she's taken aback and gasps as her perhaps not so little granddaughter rams into her and hugs her, almost knocking the both of them over in the process. Somehow she is able to regain her balance and she moves her arms around the little ball of sunshine. "You should be really careful, darling, you almost bowled your old nana right off her feet, that and you almost came with me too." Not that she would've minded of course.

Sonia doesn't reply as she tries to wrap her diddy arms further around her guardian, a little displeased she can't quite embrace and hold her grandmother to the fullest extent and potential, but one day she'll be big enough to do it! Right now all she needs to do is wish upon a star every night and it'll eventually come true! She is happy right now though, so happy. Her nan seemed so utterly proud of her, no matter how hard it was to get her attention at first. All Sonia really wanted was to make those who are close to her proud to be close to her. That is why she worked so hard and tried to perfect every aspect of herself that she could. Her hope is that her parents will come around and she can show them just how perfect she is at things and make them proud, and as much as she loves her grandma, maybe then she can live with her parents. 

Her thoughts are interrupted with a knock at the front door, "Sunny, would you be a darling and open that door for your old nana please?" She gently tugs away from the hug and receives a gentle pat on the head "It's just that I can't get to the door in time, darling, we can hug plenty later, okay? Go on, treat those guests with that stunning grin of yours." Her nans' encouragement gets her to move away and give a grin and a nod, she charges to the front door, prettying herself up a little before she'll open it to the guests that have been waiting for a good few minutes. Oh! The guests have been waiting! Now she feels like a terrible not-really-host! She glances to her grandma who is hobbling toward her.

So she opens the door and she's face to face with a woman with a head of purple hair, hey! That's Leon's mum! "Miss Daphne, He-" she hears sniffling from beside her and turns her attention to a very distraught Leon who looks like he's been crying for a while, clutching onto his sleeping baby brother. She's a little confused until she sees the distress in Daphne's expression and her attention finally moves to what Daphe is holding, in her arms is Bolt who really doesn't look all that well. Her words die in her throat and she clams up completely at the situation in front of her. What is she supposed to do? What is she supposed to say? How can she even help them? This looks really serious. She isn't sure what she can do.

Luckily her grandma is to the rescue, rushing on over a little faster than the hobbling she had been doing beforehand "Oh my darlings, my dears, do come in and take a seat, we can discuss it at any pace you see fit." She offered her comfort and she gestured to Sonia who moved out the way and let them in. There is an awkward aura among all of them, she moves over to Leon and offers him a sympathetic smile, probably not the best thing to offer her friend who looks like he's been crying for a while. Instead, she placed an arm on his back and lead him away from the living room where she sat him on a beanbag and then sat across from him. He could hear the quiet muttering from their living room, Daphne is speaking in a hushed tone and sobbing as she utters out words Sonia can't quite catch.

It's making Leon more distressed though, so she tries to change the conversation, moving her eyes to the sleeping baby in her best friends arms, slowly she moves to take him, lifting him away from Leon's arms and gasping gently. Oh, Arceus! Oh wow! He's such a beautiful baby! She hasn't seen his little brother yet. This could be the perfect distraction! So she decides that she'll use that as leverage to hopefully make him a little happier. "Leo, he's beautiful, what is his name?" she started as she gently rocked the little sleeping baby, she can see Leon thinking about how to respond and him wiping a few stray tears away and she certainly won't try to rush him because it's clear he just needs some time.

He sniffles as he responds "....'op." but his voice is very shaky and hard to understand since his accent is particularly heavy due to his upset which whatever was going on with Bolt. So he clears his throat and tries again, viewing Hops peaceful expression and that somewhat makes him feel a little better. "Hop" his little brother is his everything and even in a situation where his best friend is really ill, Hop can always bring the slightest smile to his face. Just hearing the soft coos from his mouth as he slept away and watching the blanket rise and fall with each breath that he took. It was comforting to see, Sonia felt it too, she had never wanted a little sibling and she knew she wouldn't receive one but Leon's sibling was as much of his sibling as it was her sibling, anything that Leon had in his life she would gladly embrace into hers.

"Hop?" Sonia asked gently as she moved a hand to stroke across the babies face, ever so carefully grabbing his chubby little cheek and giving it a firm squeeze, where she pouted when her hand got lightly smacked away by Leon but she couldn't blame him. Hop was trying to sleep and she certainly wouldn't want to wake him up. Leon was just being a good older brother which Sonia couldn't help but feel that it was absolutely adorable. It had been... What? A week? And yet here her best friend was silently scolding her for pinching his little brother's cheek. "Did your ma name him after a plant too?" She asked pretty curiously, she didn't mean it in a bad way, of course, she actually admired Daphne a lot for her naming choice, she'd made a flower sound like a real name. 

Once she earned a nod of confirmation from her best friend she grinned and looked down at baby hop "So you're named after a dandelion and he's named after hop, that's a weed or something, right? You're both named after weeds, wow." She can't help but snicker, having completely forgotten about the other situation that they had at hand. It was actually very funny to her, quite amusing. Her best friend and his brother were named after weeds! Maybe it'll become a family tradition! She couldn't help but giggle at thought, sure she felt like a terrible friend for laughing at their names, but it was very funny to her! And actually really cute, too. She wouldn't mind passing on that tradition.

That thought goes untouched because her grandmother calls her into the living area, she is, of course, more than happy to go over to them. She hands Hop back to Leon and skips over to the adults on the sofa, and then she pauses to absorb the situation because it hits her like a load of bricks. Her grandma has such a sorrowful expression on her face and Sonia can feel a bit of dread twisting and turning in her stomach, a regret she can't quite put her finger on, it honestly feels so terrible. She frowns as she tilts her head "What's up, nana? Is there something you need? Is Bolty okay?" her voice is quivering as she hears hushed sobs leaving her friend's mother. No no. This can't be happening. Everything is fine. This is all just a co-ordinated joke on her and soon they'll all break out in laughter and tell her as such.

But all she receives is a slow shake of the head from her grandma and her heart drops. Her mood has absolutely plummeted by now and thick tears start to spill down her face. "W-what do you mean? Bolty will be fine, right??" Much like how she had accepted Hop into her life with ease, she had also accepted Bolt many many years ago. He was family to him, he was her dog just as much as he was Leon and Daphnes. There is a wavering uncertainty in her grandmother's expression and she hates it, she can't take it anymore. She doesn't want bolty to be ill, she doesn't want the possibility of this otherwise healthy and fairly young loyal dog to leave them all behind. 

She can't take it, she runs off, first to Leon, straight to his side and wrapping her arms around him, sobbing tears onto his shoulder and gurgling out many variations of apologies. But that isn't enough. She can't help Bolt by crying. Why couldn't she be a good friend and help her grandmother out with Bolt instead of being an idiot and making fun of her friends' name? She can't handle the pressure in the end and releases Leon. She's a bad friend. She doesn't deserve to be there and comfort him, she doesn't deserve to be there at all. So instead she runs out the front door and starts to sprint away from the house, with the urgency to just get away and hide forever where they'll never find her. Her emotions and adrenaline are at an all-time high and she doesn't hear all the voices calling out to her in an urgent matter. Instead, she just keeps running.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're interested in hearing about what other things I do in my free time you can follow me:
> 
> Instagram (Art!): @HydraMaigon  
> Twitter (WIPS, Updates of fic, other): @HMaigon
> 
> I plan to release a new chapter every 8-9 days but I'm not going to force myself to keep to that schedule!
> 
> P.s. College has started now so some chapters may take much longer!

**Author's Note:**

> If you're interested in hearing about what other things I do in my free time you can follow me: 
> 
> Instagram (Art!): @HydraMaigon  
> Twitter (WIPS, Updates of fic, other): @HMaigon
> 
> I plan to release a new chapter every 2-3 days but I'm not going to force myself to keep to that schedule!


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